Author: Wiencek, HenryPublisher: Pan BooksYear: 2005ISBN: 0330488694Binding: Mass Market PaperbackBook Condition: As NewSize: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tallDescription: New book, 404 pages. When George Washinton wrote his will, he made the startling decision to set his slaves free. It was the last act of a man who had begun to question his values, of a man who had come to believe that holding slaves was his 'only unavoidable subject of regret.' In this groundbreaking work, Henry Wiencek explores the founding father's engagement with slavery at every stage of his life - as a Virginia planter, soldier, politician, president and statesman. Based on a meticulous examination of private papers, court records, and the voluminous Washington archives, Wieneck recounts for the first time the moral transformation that culminated in Washinton's decision to emancipate his slaves.